Brandon Browner Rips Patriots for Benching Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl 52

Former New England Patriots cornerback Brandon Browner had some choice words for head coach Bill Belichick on Sunday, ripping him for the surprise benching of Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl 52 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.      

"Man, Bill wasn't right at all tonight, man," Browner said in an expletive-laden Instagram post. "I didn't know how to feel watching that s--t, without my homie playing, without Malcolm f--king playing, didn't know whether to cheer for their ass. That dude started every game for that team. ... That was some power-trip s--t to prove a point."

Browner doubled down in a subsequent post, saying "a locker room was divided pregame." He called Butler the Patriots' "best defender" over the last three seasons and said the move was "foolish pride."    

A 2015 Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro in 2016, Butler performed below expectations for much of 2017, but it was still a surprise he only appeared on a few special teams plays Sunday. Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe and Johnson Bademosi got snaps at cornerback, and Belichick did not change his mind even though Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was putting up MVP numbers against his defense.     

"They gave up on me. F--k. It is what it is," Butler told ESPN.com's Mike Reiss. "I don't know what it was. I guess I wasn't playing good or they didn't feel comfortable. I don't know. But I could have changed that game."     

Foles threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns in Philadelphia's 41-33 victory as part of an all-time shootout that broke multiple Super Bowl records for offensive production. Rowe, who started in place of Butler, told reporters the switch was not made until just prior to kickoff.

"It was a coach's decision. I was just doing my job and supporting my teammates. I have nothing but great things to say about the organization. They gave me an opportunity. That's about it," Butler told Reiss.

Browner, 33, played with the Patriots during the 2014 season, helping the team win Super Bowl XLIX but also struggling for most of the year. Butler, then a rookie, made a game-clinching interception at the goal line to give the Patriots the victory over the Seattle Seahawks.